Preposition:
A preposition is a word that indicates the
relationship between a noun and the other words of a sentence.
They explain relationships of sequence, space, and logic between
the object of the sentence and the rest of the sentence. They help
us understand order, time connections, and positions.
EXAMPLES
❖ I am going to Canada.
❖ Alex threw a stone into the pond.
❖ The present is inside the box.
❖ I am suffering from fever.
There are a few interesting linguistic facts about prepositions.
01. They are a closed class of words which means no new preposition gets added
to the language. We use a fixed set of prepositions.
02. Prepositions do not have any other form. They cannot be plural, possessive,
inflection, or anything else.
03. Most of the prepositions have many different contextual and natural uses. So,
it is easy to be confused about it.
04. Sometimes a preposition works as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
TYPES OF PREPOSITION
Most of the prepositions have many uses. There are
some prepositions which are common in every type of
preposition as they function in a versatile way.
1. Prepositions of Time
2. Prepositions of Place and Direction
3. Prepositions of Agents or Things
4. Phrasal Prepositions
01. Prepositions of Time:
Prepositions of time show the
relationship of time between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence.
On, at, in, from, to, for, since, ago, before, till/until, by, etc. are the
most common preposition of time.
EXAMPLES
❖ He started working at 10 AM.
❖ The company called meeting on 25 October.
❖ There is a holiday in December.
❖ He has been ill since Monday.
02. Prepositions of Place and Direction:
Prepositions of place show the
relationship of place between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence.
On, at, in, by, from, to, towards, up, down, across, between, among, through, in
front of, behind, above, over, under, below, etc. are the most common
prepositions of place/direction.
EXAMPLES
❖ He is at home.
❖ He came from England.
❖ The police broke into the house.
❖ I live across the river.
03. Prepositions of Agents or Things:
Prepositions of agents
or things indicate a causal relationship between nouns and other parts
of the sentence.
Of, for, by, with, about, etc. are the most used and common
prepositions of agents or things.
EXAMPLES
❖ This article is about smart phones.
❖ Most of the guests have already left.
❖ I will always be here for you.
❖ He is playing with his brothers.
04. Phrasal Prepositions:
A phrasal preposition is not a prepositional
phrase, but they are a combination of two or more words that function as a
preposition.
Along with, apart from, because of, by means of, according to, in front of,
contrary to, in spite of, on account of, in reference to, in addition to, in regard to,
instead of, on top of, out of, with regard to, etc. are the most common phrasal
prepositions.
EXAMPLES
❖They along with their children went to Atlanta.
❖According to the new rules, you are not right.
❖In spite of being a good player, he was not selected.
❖I’m going out of the city.
A Few Rules for Usage
Although there are hardly any rules as to when to use which
preposition, most commonly prepositions define relationships between
nouns and locate words, actions or ideas in a particular time or place.
To remember the role of prepositions, notice that ''position'' appears in
the word ''preposition''!
As we have discussed the Prepositions in detail with definitions, now
we have some rules of prepositions to use in the sentences.
Prepositions – Time
